On the edge: Former Wildcats hope to break through

Tour rookies Donald, Daley fight to stay

The Northwestern golf coach tells former players Luke Donald and Jess Daley not to get too wrapped up in the results. The important thing, he says, is for them to gain experience and keep developing.

The PGA Tour rookies try to heed Goss' advice, but it isn't easy. They see the money to be made and the putts that need to be made to retain their status on tour. Practicing patience at this stage can be as difficult as a blind 2-iron shot into the wind.

"It sounds like a simple thing, but when you're out there, it doesn't seem that way," Daley said. "You keep telling yourself, `It's just golf.' The object of the game hasn't changed."

The venue, however, has. Both players are making the jump from college golf to the top professional tour in the world.

Thus far Donald, the 1999 NCAA champion, is off to the better start. He has made the cut in 12 of 17 tournaments, earning $346,520 to rank 100th on the money list. His best finish was a tie for 13th in the Sony Open, but his best tournament was a tie for 18th in the U.S. Open.

Daley, meanwhile, has cashed checks in only 4 of 13 tournaments, earning $54,719.

Still it's a long summer, and there's plenty of golf to be played. They both are looking forward to being in the field at home at this week's Advil Western Open.

"It's been a learning experience," Donald said. "I feel like I could be doing better, but I'm steadily improving. I'm making cuts."

Making cuts is no small feat. The top 125 money winners at the end of the year get to maintain their PGA Tour playing privileges for next season. Fall below that magic number and it means going back to the brutally tough qualifying school, where anything can happen.

Donald, however, has higher expectations than just hanging around the cut line. A dominating player in collegiate golf, he is looking for higher finishes.

"Coming off a quite successful four years in college, it feels like I should do the same here," said Donald, a native of England who lives in Evanston. "Then you start to put pressure on yourself. Obviously it's different. In college, only 5 percent of players had a chance to win a tournament. Here it is 70 percent. There are better players."

Goss believes Donald can be one of them if he remains patient.

"I tell him to keep doing what he's doing, and wait for his turn to come," Goss said. "At some point you're going to see a breakout from Luke. I tell him, `Don't get impatient now. This is about being the best player you can be [for the long haul].' If he does that, it could take him to a pretty special place."

Donald provided a hint of his vast potential with a superb showing at Bethpage State Park's Black Course. It isn't surprising Donald did well in an Open. A sound iron player who doesn't make many mistakes, he is often compared to three-time Open winner Hale Irwin.

"I think Luke showed he is going to contend and hopefully win a major," Goss said.

Daley also has considerable potential. Goss thinks Daley is close to seeing it on the PGA Tour. He is encouraged that when Daley misses a cut, it usually isn't by much.

"Jess needs to believe he belongs," Goss said. "There's a lot to get used to. It's a new business for him, and he's playing new courses that the other players have played a bunch of times. It's an adjustment."

The biggest adjustment has been not knowing when he's going to play. Daley is one of the low men on the priority list for tournament spots. He gets in the field only if a number of top players decide not to play; the Western gave him an exemption this week.

Daley actually went to some tournaments thinking he would get in as an alternate. It didn't happen.